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DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH

Thailand to introduce facial and fingerprint scans for SIM cards nationwide In a bid to combat electronic fraud, Thailand is making biometric checks mandatory for all those obtaining new SIM cards. Authorities say the data will be kept "private and safe." People in Thailand who want to obtain a new SIM card will be required to undergo facial or fingerprint scans as of December 15, the countryʼs telecoms regulator said on Monday. The nationwide rollout of the system follows a successful trial run since June in the capital, Bangkok, and Thailandʼs restive south, where separatist insurgents have carried out many bomb attacks using mobile phones to trigger the explosive devices, the regulator said. However, regulatory official Takorn Tantasith said biometric registration was being introduced nationwide mainly to enhance mobile banking security. "This is not aimed at tracking users, but enhancing security, especially in the case of mobile payments, " Takorn said.

Sicily elects governor in bellwether vote ahead of Italyʼs national election Sicilyʼs regional vote is showing a tight race between the center-right backed by Silvio Berlusconi and the populist Five Star Movement. The election is seen as a rehearsal ahead of Italyʼs national election in 2018. Italyʼs center-right looked set to narrowly win over the countryʼs populist party in Sicilyʼs regional election on Sunday, in a vote viewed as a barometer ahead of a general election next May. Centerright candidate Nello Musumeci looked to have taken around 38 percent of the vote, while Giancarlo Cancelleri of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement looked to have garnered 36 percent, midday projections showed on Monday. Voter turnout was low at just under 47 percent.

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US, Japan agree that ʼall optionsʼ are on the table North Korea:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has welcomed US President Donald Trumpʼs North Korea policy. The two leaders agreed the "era of strategic patience" with North Korea was over and that "all options" were on the table. At a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, US President Donald Trump called North Korea a "menace" and said that Japan and said US had to work together to counter the "dangerous aggressions" of the North. The Northʼs nuclear program was "a threat to the civilized world and international peace and stability," he told reporters. He added that "some say my rhetoric is strong, but look whatʼs happened with weak rhetoric over the last 25 years." He reiterated his bullish stance that the "era of strategic patience" was over and that "all options are on the table." A similarly hawkish Abe welcomed the USʼs policy, saying that the two countries agreed "100 percent" on North Korea and that it was now crucial to exert maximum pressure on the repressive regime. Earlier on Monday, President Trump told American and Japanese business leaders that Japan had been "winning" the trade relationship with the US "for the last many decades."

"The US has suffered massive trade deficits with Japan," he said, adding that current trade arrangements were "not fair and not open." Trump praised Japan for buying US military hardware but lamented that while "many millions of cars are sold by Japan into the United States ... virtually no cars go from the United States into Japan." Trump also said he expects Japan to purchase "massive amounts" of military equipment from the United States. Japan will be able to shoot missiles from North Korea "out of the sky" with that equipment. Abe replied that Japan would only shoot down missiles if absolutely necessary. The US leader said he wanted to reshape the two nationsʼ economic ties, and despite abandoning the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — which the US had negotiated with several Asian and North and South American countries — Trump said he wanted "more trade than anyone ever thought under TPP."

Saudi-led coalition blames Iran for Houthi missile attack Saudi Arabia has blamed Iran for committing a possible "act of war" after a missile fired by Yemenʼs Houthi rebels targeted Riyadh. The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is heating up across the Middle East. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen accused Iran on Monday of supplying the ballistic missile that targeted Riyadh, saying it could be considered an act of war. Saturdayʼs missile launchis considered "a blatant act of military aggression by the Iranian regime, and could rise to be considered as an act of war against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the coalition said in a statementon the official Saudi Press Agency. The statement said the kingdom "reserves its right to respond to Iran in the appropriate time and manner." On Saturday evening, Saudi Arabiaʼs air defense forces intercepted a variant of the Volcano-1 ballistic missile fired from Yemen toward the King Khalid International Airport near the capital. No casualties or damage was reported.

Venezuelan opposition leader takes refuge in Chilean embassy Leading opposition figure Freddy Guevara has sought refuge in the Chilean embassy after being blamed by Venezuelaʼs government of fomenting violence. A UN report blames the government for the scores of protester deaths. A leading member of Venezuelaʼs opposition has sought refuge in the Chilean embassy after being threatened with arrest by the countryʼs high court.

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